A car careened out of control and smashed into the side of the ironically named Crossroads United Methodist Church in Columbus during Sunday services, leaving several injured.
According to the Rev. Jay D. Anderson, services had started just 15 minutes earlier and the choir was mid-hymn when the car exploded through the side of the wall, destroying a panel of stained glass, spraying shards throughout the vicinity, and scattering rows of populated pews.
Given recent incidents of violence at places of worship throughout America, many people jumped to the worst conclusion, at first thinking that a bomb had gone off.
“I didn’t see anything. I just went with the flow. It slid us across the aisle, It felt like a bomb,” Marie Winnestaffer, who was sitting in one of the pews struck by the vehicle, told The Columbus Dispatch
Thankfully, the blast turned out to be a Toyota Corolla driven by an elderly church-goer who lost control of her vehicle.
Nurses attended to the injured on the spot, while Anderson moved others to the side opposite of the now gaping hole in the church wall, where he led prayers for the injured.
“There’s no manual for this,” Anderson said.
Six people were transported with minor cuts and injuries to a local hospital and are in stable condition, according to Columbus Fire Battalion Chief Steve Martin.
Nearly 100 people were in the Church at the time, the unusually packed crowd having gathered for Christmas services.
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